‘Companies are always looking to reduce cost and improve efficacies, so there is a strong probability this is going to happen in many organisations’
Canadian workers are sharply divided over the likelihood that artificial intelligence (AI) will trigger mass job losses, according to a recent report.
Overall, 48 per cent of workers say it is “somewhat likely” that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s prediction will come true, reports The Conversation. Amodei predicted that AI could “wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs and spike unemployment to 10 to 20 per cent in the next one to five years.”
Fewer than one in five (16 per cent) say this scenario is “very likely,” while 36 per cent claim it is “not too likely” or “not at all likely.”
The survey of 2,519 working Canadians—conducted by The Conversation and the Angus Reid Forum from Sept. 8 to 18—also included open-ended questions, providing a window into the reasoning behind these attitudes.
Concerns about corporate priorities
Many of the pessimistic responses focused on concerns about corporate priorities. A 63-year-old writer stated, “Companies are greedy. They want to get rid of as many jobs as possible.”
This sentiment was echoed by a 66-year-old clinical manager who said, “Companies are always looking to reduce cost and improve efficacies, so there is a strong probability this is going to happen in many organisations over the next 5 to 10 years as AI continues to be used.”
Some respondents felt the effects of automation were already visible. A 30-year-old engineer remarked, “The trends and increases in speed of which AI has begun dominating the business world… companies will attempt to replace their entry-level jobs with AI.”
AI is driving tech workers to look elsewhere for employment, according to a previous report.
Optimism about AI
Meanwhile, a significant portion of respondents to the Conversation/Angus Reid survey expressed optimism about the future. A 54-year-old community television producer said, “AI is not a replacement for humans. [It] should allow humans to accomplish more at their jobs.”
A 34-year-old service officer commented, “The job market will adapt as needed, switching to different roles that match the current technology, just as we have done in the past.”
Another respondent, a 33-year-old project co-ordinator, added, “I think people and jobs will adapt to utilise technology in the same way we adapted to the internet. I think the job market will change, but overall, we’re more likely to adapt than have high unemployment.”
While the majority of employees are eager to adopt agentic AI in their roles, workers are feeling anxiety around the use of the technology, according to an Ernst & Young (EY) report.
AI-competing and AI-augmenting roles
According to The Conference Board of Canada, in 2024, 57.4 per cent of Canadian jobs were classified as highly exposed to AI. Of these, 49.0 per cent are AI-competing roles where AI can automate core tasks with limited need for human judgement, while 51.0 per cent are AI-augmenting roles where “AI applications can enhance human capabilities by handling repetitive tasks and allowing more focus on judgement, creativity, and human interaction.”
“Our results indicate that workers need to build AI skills now,” says The Conference Board of Canada. “The more they can use AI to strengthen their work, the more future‑proof their jobs will be.”
The Conference Board is calling on employers to develop an internal classification for jobs to know whether jobs are AI-competing or AI-augmenting, and to tailor internal training programs to maximise employee development for both AI-competing and AI-augmenting roles.
“Classifying roles will help with planning and identifying vulnerabilities and will support the organisation in adapting training programs. Use Statistics Canada’s classification as a starting point,” the organisation advises.
“Given the rapid pace of AI development and integration, organisations that want to stay ahead of the curve could create parallel development tracks, emphasising analytical skills and learning agility for AI-competing roles and leadership and change management for AI-augmenting roles to optimise workforce adaptability by the end of 2025.”
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